Your editorial (‘How Obama Can Assure Israelis,’ July 8) argues that the crux of the problem in making peace is the “Palestinians’ refusal to recognize a Jewish state in the region” and that the U.S. must demand that the Palestinian Authority (PA) drop the so-called “right of return” and abrogate its unity government agreement with Hamas.
Vitally important as these things are, this is deeply inadequate.
Suppose for a moment that the PA does officially announce its acceptance of Israel as a Jewish state and even repudiates its agreement with Hamas and the “right of return” — but then continues to promote incitement to hatred and murder against Israelis and Jews; pay salaries to jailed Palestinian terrorists and subsidies to their families; and continues to allow terrorists to murder Israelis. Such a situation would surely be intolerable.
It is therefore essential that we demand of the PA that it arrest terrorists, outlaw terrorist groups, cease showering money and rewards on terrorists and their families, end incitement in the PA-controlled, media, mosques, schools and youth camps and rescind the naming of scores of streets, schools and sports teams after Jew-killing terrorists. After all, these Palestinian policies are truly the crux of the problem.
National President Zionist Organization of America
